In the vein of the well-attended Friday After 5 events, Worship on the Water and Glenn Funeral Home’s Gospel on the River, worship leaders from 10 different area churches are gathering together to praise God as a community.

The free, family-friendly event will be held Sunday evening, March 10, at 6 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Owensboro.

Titus Chapman, Worship Pastor for The Refuge church in Rockport, Indiana, has helped to organize the event as well as be an impromptu worship leader of sorts.

“Last year we did Worship on the Water,” Chapman said. “It was well-attended and just a great event. But before we did something else like that, I wanted to touch various other worship groups in the community, respecting all forms of worship and expression whether it’s multigenerational or multicultural. Our goal is to provide an atmosphere where everyone can connect with God.”

That atmosphere will be created by musicians and vocalists representing worship teams from First Baptist, Living Hope, Bellevue Baptist, Pleasant Valley, Owensboro Christian, The Refuge, Matthews Table, Pleasant Grove Baptist, Macedonia Baptist and Christ Community Churches.

Vocalist and planning team member, Cathy Mullins said each of the traditional hymns will be very stylishly done with the addition of electric guitar, drums and a variety of vocal and instrumental talents. Mullins said one hymn features a pipe organ, while Taylor Dooley, one of the community’s youngest worship leaders, will actually be singing one of the oldest hymns.

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“This is bigger than nostalgia — this is about worshipping God,” Chapman said. “Different people have different heart languages in the way they worship God. Sometimes on Sunday mornings, you only get 15-20 minutes in a certain genre; sometimes those who grew up with hymns are left alone.”

Chapman said the difference between what people typically hear at Friday After 5 versus Sunday evening’s Night of Hymns is worshipping through hymns rather than contemporary music.

“The hymns bring a certain level of structure and stability that other songs don’t bring — they bring a richness,” Chapman said. “There is a group that appreciates the authenticity of the hymns and this form of music.”

Chapman said it was the job of local worship leaders to recognize the needs of the community and fill those needs, adding, “Let the community inform the church instead of the church informing the community.”

“When we meet as a group, as a unit, as a city — we want to be respectful in the way we worship,” Chapman said. “We sing songs about God, to God, for God. We are saying, ‘You are important to us and we want to honor you through worship.’”

Another form of worship Chapman hopes to pursue in the future, is holding a Night of Worship on New Year’s Eve. Chapman’s vision is a night of worship and prayer for the Owensboro community as a way to ring in the year 2020. He is currently searching for a venue that would be willing and able to accommodate their needs.

“Our goal is to fill the worship gap, to bring different generations and bring different cultures together at one time to worship one God,” Chapman said. “It can be done — it just needs to be purposeful.”

Melody Ann Wallace is a Navy veteran, former middle school English teacher, monthly contributor to Owensboro Parent and Living magazines, mom and step-mom. She runs on caffeine, good deeds, the inspiring stories of others, and finds sleep to be completely over-rated.